


The Cat

by Caidyn



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Fluff, Inspired by Art, Lestrade has a cat, M/M, Post Reichenbach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-08
Updated: 2013-06-08
Packaged: 2017-12-14 09:09:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/835179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caidyn/pseuds/Caidyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A conversation between Sherlock and Greg all about a simple cat Sherlock finds his DI with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Cat

**Author's Note:**

> Based off [this picture](http://24.media.tumblr.com/28489b286ac75d580cf45630518abdce/tumblr_mmdtrqR84t1s0yiq7o1_500.png) by Tumblr user [ theivoryfool](http://theivoryfool.tumblr.com/).

“You have a cat.”

Sherlock stood in the living room doorway, staring at Gregory Lestrade who was petting a black cat that seemed about three years old, which coincided with his fall. “Yes, I do have a cat. A very pretty one at that, wouldn’t you agree?” The DI barely looked up but Sherlock caught the smirk on his face that showed his amusement. It was a look he had become very familiar with over the years. “Her name is Sherly.”

One of Sherlock’s eyebrows raised while taking a step closer. A black cat with those amber eyes the breed usually had. Sherly. “Oh, you’re being irksome today.” He did walk closer as the cat’s head dipped up, a pink tongue coming out to lightly lick over Greg’s hand while she looked at him. “Naming a cat after me. A female cat. I don’t know whether to take that as a complement or not.”

“You’re much like a cat, Sherlock. I’d suggest you see it as a complement then move on. I think you’d like her if you gave her a chance,” he murmured, the words almost coming out as a coo while he scratched in the spot behind Sherly’s ear, the sacred space for most cats. “Want to hold her?”

“No. I’d rather not. But,” he paused as he sat down beside the man, who immediately threw an arm around him. “Why did you get her?”

“I got a bit lonely and decided I needed a kitten to nurture to perk up my life.” Sherlock turned his head away. Greg went on. “Turns out I got someone exactly what I needed. A bit feisty when I have to do certain things, like feed or bathe her, but she’s sweet as well. Likes to cuddle up against me when I sleep, like someone else I know.” He squeezed Sherlock’s shoulder lightly with an adoring look on his face.

“I don’t like to cuddle. That one is all in your imagination, Inspector.”

“Oh, sure you don’t, Sunshine. Last I checked I had a nice time cuddling with you the last time you were around here -- what was it? -- last week, that was it.”

“And where was your precious cat,” Sherlock asked, looking as the thing stretched across Greg’s body, her back legs touching his leg. “I didn’t see her when I was around.”

“Sulking. She was a bit upset that I had someone else to hold when I went to sleep. First time in three years that she didn’t get the coveted spot next to me.” Greg’s head tilted to the side after saying that. “Reminds me of someone else I know. I saw the look on your face when you saw that there was someone else stretched across my lap.”

He blushed lightly; now and then he liked to lay across Greg’s lap and have his hair stroked for a bit of intimacy and comfort. Sherlock took a deep breath and looked down at Sherly. “Fine. I guess she’ll be nice to have around, especially since I’m going to be around less while I figure out if I’m living at Baker Street or somewhere else.” He reached his hand out and lightly scratched Sherly’s ribs with a deep breath in.

They both eyed each other warily to find some kind of truce on how they were going to share Greg between them from now on. The DI chuckled to himself and said, “I’m going to do my laundry. You two stay here and don’t let her scratch you. Your skin is finally getting back to the regular pale that it always is and I don’t want it marred.” An affectionate thumb glided across his high cheekbone before the man left him with a cat that almost glared at him.

He glared back, unsure how to handle this situation. Sherlock wasn’t good with reading animals like he could with people, but he knew she already wasn’t very happy with the situation. God, he really was like a cat, wasn’t he? Following in Greg’s suit, he reached his hand up to scratch behind her ear, finding the crook that he figured would hit the spot, just like it did for him when Greg’s short nails scratched his scalp.

That earned him a soft mew, just that soft noise that made him smile to himself. “Maybe you aren’t so bad,” he murmured. “You helped him while I was gone, a deed I can approve of. Mind you, I want a place to sleep while I’m over. You stay at the end of the bed while I take the spot near Greg. That spot you can have when I’m not around. Deal?”

Sherly turned her head and licked his bony wrist with her rough tongue. “That’s a deal then.” She mewed again while he bent his knees to cup her close to his chest. Definitely a warm creature, far warmer than he had to be when curled against Greg while he was half asleep or just feeling terrible and needed that comfort. He could see why Greg liked her, at least a bit better.

An hour passed of the DI being in and out of the room, flitting from place to place just to clean up his flat some -- Sherlock had dropped by unannounced -- until Greg really came back and saw the scene. “See, I told you that you’d like her,” he proudly said, going over to Sherlock with a told-you-so smile on his face.

“Shut it, you idiot,” Sherlock muttered, fighting back a smile of his own.

“You’re so sweet to me,” Greg whispered. He pressed their noses together in a gentle and familiar way. Immediately after Sherly batted at no one in particular to get the attention back to her.


End file.
